Blackout
by TheCorviter
Summary: While visiting home, Sarah tries a new alcoholic drink, The Eraser, with friends. It does as advertised and she wakes the next morning to an empty house, no memory of the previous evening, and Jareth requesting that she once again run to get them back.
1. Chapter 1

A persistent headache and rolling wave of nausea was what finally broke through Sarah's drunken slumber. She moaned pitifully and blinked slowly, waiting for the sleep to clear from her eyes and adjust to the room around her.

Her ruminations of whether she should venture to the toilet, stalled as she realized she wasn't in her apartment bedroom. Icy fear sliced through her foggy brain- clearing the cobwebs- as she assessed her surroundings. Letting out a sigh, and dropping her head back to her pillow, she remembered, _family_. Yes, she was visiting Toby, her Dad, and Karen for a week, and was currently sleeping in her childhood bedroom. Today was her last day.

Fear abated, she stuffed her head underneath the pillow and decided to sleep a little longer before using the bathroom.

However, her reprieve was cut short as a large hand shook her shoulder. "Wake up, Precious, this isn't a social call," his voice, normally warm and filled with a teasing note- especially with her, was instead authoritative and cool.

Sarah groaned again but otherwise didn't move. He snatched the pillow covering her head and pushed at her shoulder, urging her to roll over. "I need you awake and…" he bent down sniffing, reeling back as the stench of last night's alcohol assaulted his nose. "Sober." He sighed. Well, that's what got her into this mess.

Finally, Sarah gave in and rolled onto her back, squinting at him. "Jay go-way I over," she mumbled. Jareth interpreted it as 'Jareth, go away, I'm hungover.'

"Yes, I know," he formed two pea-sized crystals in his hand, gently settling one on her forehead and the other on her camisole clad stomach. They melted as soon as they touched her, curing her hangover almost instantaneously.

She sighed in relief, smiled at him gratefully and sat up wishing she had planned ahead and set a glass of water on the nightstand. While the more awful effects of overindulging in alcohol were gone, her mouth was still cottony and dry. Sarah ran her fingers through the massive tangle of her thick, dark hair, with the intent of getting up and guzzling a gallon of water, when she paused. He was standing there looking at her expectantly. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"It's far too quiet for a late Sunday morning, don't you think?"

"Far too quiet?" she echoed, confused. Then it dawned on her- it _was_ far too quiet, especially with a 10-year-old boy and a yappy Jack Russel Terrier in the house. Her green eyes darted to the dog bed in the corner of her room. It was empty. Sprocket, her dog, usually woke her with sloppy kisses no matter how early- or late- she slept. And whenever she visited her family, Sprocket and Toby entertained themselves, by playing fetch in the yard or exploring the nearby park. Happy barks and giddy child laughter could be heard by half the neighborhood- she was sure.

That icy feeling of fear slammed into her head once more, only it was 100 times stronger. Jumping up, she skittered out her room and thundered down the stairs, frantically searching the house- calling out "Toby!" and receiving no answer. She stuck her head in the kitchen "Dad? Karen?" Usually they were sitting at the table- her dad reading the comics section and Karen working on the crossword puzzle. But it was empty. No signs of breakfast being eaten or puzzles mastered.

"Outside!" she shrieked a little hysterically as she scrambled for the back door, not noticing that she had to unlock it. "It's nice out- they must be out in the yard. Sprocket! Here, boy!" She yelled stepping out. The yard was lush and green and thoroughly empty except for a couple of squirrels.

Slamming the door shut, her eyes darted around the room as she thought. "Maybe they went on a drive." Sarah ran through the house to peek out of Karen's large picturesque window. The family minivan was parked in its usual spot. In fact, Sarah's beat up Gremlin was parked behind it. Well, that meant...

She whirled searching for him. "Jareth!" she bellowed, nearly slamming into him as hot boiling anger took over her senses. "What did you do with them?" she poked him squarely in the chest- it was hard- plated and his clothing dark and familiar- a glittering cloak hung gracefully from his shoulders. Sarah gasped and took a step back. He was in his child-napping attire.

He smiled a cold smile and crossed his arms. "It's not what _I_ did with them, my Sweet, it's what _you_ wished for."

"I- I wished for?" Anger melted away, once again replaced by confusion, her voice small and broken. "I wished for. I don't remember wishing for anything, Jareth. I wasn't even home last night." She searched his face, thinking that perhaps he was playing a sick joke. His expression was firm and cold- almost as cold as the chest plate he wore.

"Of course, you wouldn't remember, would you?" Tucking his hands behind his back, he slowly circled the young woman. "You were out having a little _too_ much fun, weren't you?"

Sarah's shoulders slumped as she heard the disapproval in his voice. "I was just catching up with friends. And I- I got a little carried away." The last thing she remembered was trying a new mixed drink- The Eraser, and then… nothing. Hell, she didn't even know how she got home. "But I wouldn't wish them away. Come on Jareth, you know that."

"But you did," he said sharply stopping in front of her.

"You know how it happened don't you?"

He nodded but otherwise stayed silent on the matter.

Sarah screwed her eyes shut with pain of what she knew she had to do. "And I have to Run again to get them back."

"Not necessarily." The teasing lit crept back into his voice, causing her to look at him again. "You could always offer to take their place." He gently hooked a gloved finger under the camisole strap that had slipped down her arm and pushed it back into place- letting his hand linger there.

With that action, Sarah became aware of just how under-dressed she was- camisole and panties. She blushed, pushed his hand away, and moved behind the couch to put something in between them. "No," she said firmly. "I'll Run."

Jareth glared at her, "Spoilsport," he groused, grabbing her hand and tugging her towards the large window.

"Wait!" Sarah dug her heels in. "I'm not going dressed like this."

He dropped her hand and glanced back at her. It would have made watching her Run exceptionally more exciting- for him. "Damn. Am I not allowed to have any fun?"

"No, you're not. Wait here." She turned to head back upstairs to change when another of his crystals was tossed her way, gently bonking the back of her head and dressing her in jeans, a black fitted t-shirt, knee-high boots and a satchel."

The jeans and the shirt looked like it had come from her apartment closet, while the satchel and boots were new.

Jareth noticed her admiring them. "The finest dragon-hide. Near replicas of my own," he waggled his own booted foot to demonstrate.

"Oh," Sarah was speechless. "Thank you." She turned her attention to the satchel, noticing that it was made of the same glossy material, and looked inside. It contained a flashlight and a peach. She glared at Jareth, who smiled innocently.

"I thought you'd like another twirl around the ballroom?"

"Fat chance," she handed him the peach and stalked towards the kitchen for non-drugged provisions.

He rolled the peach between his palms and took a bite. Waste not, want not.

Working quickly, she stuck granola bars, bagged trail mix, beef jerky, and four bottles of water in the bag. Checking to see what he was doing- eating- _typical male_ , she dug through the junk drawer grabbing a small compass, pad of paper, and a sharpie pen. Sarah didn't know if the Underground had magnetic fields, or if the compass would work, but it was worth a shot.

"Jareth," she walked back into the living room. "I just need to brush my teeth really quick." He grunted, still working on the fruit.

Sarah darted upstairs to not only brush her teeth but wash her face and run a comb through her hair- tying it into a ponytail. If she had more time, she'd braid it, but figured that could wait until later, instead drinking water straight from the tap. She took a moment to empty her overly full bladder and think. A flashlight probably meant darkness, and darkness meant a temperature change.

She didn't remember what the weather was like during her first Run through the Labyrinth- being so focused on saving Toby. "It's probably changed," she reasoned. "Right?" she asked herself.

Sarah knew he was real. That the Labyrinth and saving Toby truly happened, but by banishing him with her declaration of "you have no power over me," she hadn't seen or heard from him for 9 years. His goblins, faeries, dwarves and other creatures- that was a different matter- they were free to come and go as they pleased. There was always something visiting her and Sprocket.

He knew this, of course, and kept an eye on her over the years but was unable to visit unless explicitly invited by her. But Jareth wasn't the King of the Goblins for nothing. Discovering loopholes was one of his specialties, and he found out that _if_ by chance they met, and _if_ she was in an extenuating circumstance, he would be free to reenter her life

Cue one flat tire on a desolate highway. A highway that cut through the part of the woods that he enjoyed gliding through. Recognizing her immediately, he landed and offered his help. Not believing that he was there with friendly intentions (at first) and swung her tire iron at him.

Since coming back, he quickly shed the authoritative kingly manner with her- instead enacting a gentle teasing and cultivating an amiable banter between them. What was downstairs wasn't the Jareth she now knew- that cold Jareth of before frightened her. "Fuck," she cursed, flushing and washing her hands. "How in the hell did I manage to wish all of them away?" The relationship between Sarah and her family had improved over the years and they generally got along whenever she visited. Something must have happened last night to tick her off enough to say the ill-fated words starting with "I wish."

But still, she didn't know if the Labyrinth had changed in the decade she last saw it. Most likely- everything changes with time. And like most people, she didn't like going into the unknown but had to prepare the best she could. She grabbed a travel first aid kit and a bottle of ibuprofen from the bathroom cabinet and walked across the hall to her room. Rummaging through her small suitcase, Sarah pulled out her hooded college sweatshirt and tied it around her waist, buckled her watch on her wrist, and pocketed a small swiss army knife from the dresser. Figuring that if anything, she could use it to cut through something.

She was ready.

Sarah crept down the stairs, mentally going through everything she remembered about her first Run and comparing that with all she had on her.

Jareth heard her descent and looked up from carving the peach pit into a tiny goblin figurine with a crystal knife. "Finally," he snorted, "women." Banishing both the pit and the knife and held out his hand for her to take. "Ready?"

Sarah paused and took a deep breath and looked into his blue eyes. The coldness was still there, but underneath it lay a warm feeling, almost like he had a fondness for her. "Yes," she took his hand and he pulled her once again towards the large window overlooking Karen's finely groomed flowerbed and yard. As soon as his back touched the glass, it twisted and glowed- much like one of his crystals. The flowerbed, yard, street and houses faded away as they walked through it.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or any recognizable characters. They belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: This has been on my computer since September, and I finally thought 'eh, stick it out there- see what happens.' I'm planning on taking my time with this, so weekly updates will be rare. I do intend to finish though (I highly dislike abandoned fics).

This, like most of my other fics is self-edited so all errors are mine. Ideas, questions, comments are welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

They appeared on the same hill as before, overlooking the Labyrinth. Sarah squinting in the bright light, trying to discern any changes. From her view, it hadn't changed much- same winding walls, same castle in the center. In fact, the only differences she noticed were a few dark, shadowy spots that she hoped to avoid.

Jareth gave a small cough to gain her attention and gave the speech he'd given a thousand times before, but with a few alternations: "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the labyrinth, before your family," he paused feeling like he had forgotten something. Smiling he remembered, "and dog becomes one of us... forever. Such a pity." With that he started to fade away.

"Wait!" Sarah lunged towards his increasingly transparent form, "What about work?" Of all the things to worry about, work had to pop into her head. What if she was late for work tomorrow?

However, he continued to fade away and instead a soft wind kicked up, and with it, his laughing voice. "Taken care of," it said, "they think you have Mono."

"Mono? The kissing disease!" Oh, great, her coworkers would have a field day with that. With nothing on the hill except for herself and the scraggly tree, Sarah dug through her satchel withdrawing the compass, pad of paper and pen. She wasn't sure if this was considered cheating, but given that he cheated last time, she only felt slightly bad about it.

First, she made note of the time on the pad: 11:15 and noticed that the second hand on her watch ticked a little slower than normal. "Probably to account for the extra hour here," she reasoned aloud. It was good though, if she kept a brisk pace, and kept an eye on the time, she could beat it again. She surveyed the Labyrinth before her once again, and roughly sketched a possible path on a clean sheet of paper, hoping to be able to follow it once inside.

Lastly, she checked her compass. The Underground did have magnetic fields, and the castle was due northwest from her current position! "Excellent!" Sarah felt hopeful for the first time since waking up this morning. Jotting that down, she descended the hill.

Idly, Sarah wondered if she'd come across her friends during this journey and was quickly disappointed when she didn't see Hoggle spraying fairies outside the Labyrinth's walls. Maybe he was inside. Skimming her hand along the wall, she searched for the gates, but found that to be lacking as well. "There has to be some way in." She walked a little further eventually coming across a large crack in the wall with just enough space for her to squeeze through. It almost looked like the wall had been struck by lightning for there were burn marks, and some of the stone had been turned into a murky glass.

Squeezing through, Sarah took a moment to look inside the wall. There were numerous passages and chambers. _A labyrinth within a labyrinth, how interesting,_ she thought, marveling at the intricate details. Traversing through the miniature were half a dozen worms. They closely resembled the one she had met her first time through. Pink, yellow, blue, green- all colors and sizes. None were wearing a red scarf though. "Pity," she breathed, not wanting to disturb this mini ecosystem. She would have enjoyed seeing him again as well.

She half-expected to be dumped into the endless corridor and was surprised when she encountered a dark forest instead. Trees all scraggly and barren like the one on the hill outside the outer wall, except they were packed so tightly together, that their branches let very little light through. What light did filter down, cast eerie shadows all over the area. Sarah frowned, and dug through the satchel for her flashlight. Keeping her back against the wall, she tried to edge her way around the trees, but they butted right up against the barrier- leaving only a twisted and uninviting path through their center.

Flicking the flashlight on, and keeping her compass in the other hand, she started on the path. The deeper she went, the darker it got, and she could hear things scurrying around outside the scope of the light. Cursing, Sarah wished she had thought to bring something larger than a pocketknife… if she came across anything dangerous, she doubted it would do her any good.

But was there anything truly dangerous here? Thinking back to the last time she was here, the only dangerous things she encountered were the Cleaners and the giant guard at the gates to the Goblin City. Each frightening, but not deadly- at least not to her.

Now though, now was different. The dark patches she had seen from the hill- she was in one of them right now, and with those changes, who knows what else had changed. After returning from the Labyrinth, Sarah threw herself into researching the human myth- trying to learn all about it. Two useful kernels of knowledge flitted though her mind like an overexcited sparrow: Keeping one's left hand on a wall would surely lead them to the center… eventually. And labyrinths could be representations of personal growth.

That last bit applied to Sarah alright. She came back more mature and ready to face adulthood and all the responsibilities that came with it. So, what personal growth would she need now? _Alcohol_ , her mind whispered. Sarah paused, "oh, that was a one-time thing." Except, it wasn't. There was the one time in college where she drank to the point where she danced on tables and flashed a couple of frat boys her breasts. And another time, where she and a couple of giggly girlfriends went cow tipping and almost got caught by the police. But she never indulged to the point of blacking out.

That was until last night.

She started walking again, aiming her flashlight towards a particularly loud snap and held her breath waiting expectantly.

Nothing happened.

"Hello?" she called out as she resumed walking. "I know there's someone out there. I warn you: I am armed," _with a penknife_ , she finished in her head. _Not that they need to know that_. Craning her head around she tried to discern any human or creature-like shapes from the darkness. Even going so far as looking straight up into the leafless canopy above- thinking that they might be hiding there. The branches, now so tightly woven together, that the sunlight peeking through resembled that of stars.

Shivering slightly, Sarah untied the hoodie from her waist with the intent of putting it on, but as soon as the knot was undone, the sweatshirt was snatched from her hands from an errand tree branch- seemingly of its own accord.

"Hey," she yelled, jumping to grab the garment as it danced higher out of her reach. She would have tried again except a familiar sounding 'yip' made her turn her head and she swore she saw something lightly colored move from the corner of her eye.

"Sprocket?" she called hopefully. Maybe he had escaped and sought her out. Sweatshirt forgotten, Sarah again turned her attention towards the path in front of her and followed the disembodied barks and 'yips' into the swirling mist.

****  
Turns out that Sprocket wasn't wandering around the Labyrinth trying to locate his mistress. No, he was currently sprawled on his back receiving a thorough belly rub from Jareth in the throne room while the rest of Sarah's family looked on in horror.

Hmm… no, 'horror,' isn't completely correct- well, except for Karen. She was white as a sheet and looked ready to pass out at any moment- so 'horror' could be applied to her. As for Toby- he observed the scene before him with a quiet fascination.

The last member, Robert, eyed all that was around him suspiciously. When they first appeared, he had tried to valiantly defend his family from the small leathery creatures, by shoving Karen and Toby behind him while simultaneously brandishing his left slipper menacingly. Being used to greater threats, the goblins promptly stole his slipper and eventually ate it (after fighting for the right to do so of course).

Before he could think of something else to try and protect his family with, a barn owl flew in from a nearby window, turning into a man as soon as its talons scraped the stone floor. This caused Robert to further shield his family from this new threat, Karen to give a shriek of surprise, and Toby to point at the strange man, and cried out, "I know you!"

Jareth smirked at him and said amusedly, "of course you do… Toby."

At the sound of his voice, Sprocket stopped rolling in something equally vague and disgusting, gave a happy bark, and scampered over to the blonde man to greet him with whimpers of joy. Kneeling down, he scratched the animal behind its ears and acquiesced to the unspoken 'please rub my belly' pose.

After a few moments of him petting and the Williams family watching, Robert gave a cough to gain Jareth's attention. Not that he really wanted the blonde man to pay attention to him and his family, but he looked like he was in charge here. At least the leathery creatures quieted down as soon as he entered the room.

"Yes?" Jareth asked, not looking up.

It was at that point that Karen, Robert, and Toby all started talking at once- each demanding answers of one sort or another. Jareth gave a long-suffering sigh and said to Sprocket, "they're worse than the goblins, you know." Giving the dog one last pat, he stood and conjured a crystal, fluidly moving it across his arms and hands.

The effect it had was almost instantaneous. Every living thing in the throne room stopped what they were doing and watched, transfixed. The goblins watched it warily, for they knew that one of his crystals could bring joy just as easily as misery to whomever encountered it.

Karen and Robert were lulled into silence by the beauty and intricate patterns he weaved with the object while Toby walked towards it, his eyes misty with memory. "You're the… Goblin King," he haltingly stated, slowly finding the right words. "You… brought me here when I was little. I remember that," he nodded towards the dancing bauble, "and you" he stared unflinchingly up into Jareth's odd eyes.

"Such bravery for someone so young," Jareth complimented, "you would have made a wonderful heir and-"

But Toby cut him off. "What have you done with my sister?"

Jareth gave the crystal one last elaborate twist before tossing it nonchalantly to the side. It burst as soon as it hit the floor, turning into an inviting breakfast table- complete with a steaming coffee pot. "Your sister," he strode over to the head of the table and sat, pouring himself a cup, "is rescuing you as we speak… or trying to. Coffee?" he offered, holding out the porcelain pot to the others. "Breakfast? You must be starving."

"Heir?" Robert echoed, confused. "What do you mean 'heir'? Toby what is all this?" Robert rounded on his son.

"Ah," Jareth exclaimed, buttering a piece of toast, "so nobody let the parental figures know what happened that fateful night?" he asked in a mocking tone. Toby opened his mouth to protest, but Jareth held up a gloved hand. "You're exempt. After all, you were only a year old at the time. But Sarah… she certainly kept mum about things. Interesting."

"They never would have believed her," Toby pointed out.

Jareth took a bite of his toast and leaned back in the chair, propping his feet onto the table next to his plate. He noticed that none of the Williams had moved.

"Well, that is neither here nor there, is it? They have indisputable proof that her, what do you humans call it, 'tall tale'… is true. Now," he clapped his hands, "sit, eat- I'll explain everything."

****  
Bellies full, and tales told, the group was collectively silent- humans digesting both the information and the meal while Jareth regally sipped his second cup of coffee.

"So you're saying," Robert broke the silence, "that you were minding your own business- being an Elf King-"

"Goblin King," Jareth corrected, with an arched eyebrow. He had unfortunately inherited the role when his older brother drunkenly harassed a troll to the point of being crushed by it. But just because he didn't want the job, didn't mean that he didn't deserve the respect that came from it.

"Yes, a _Goblin King_ , when your goblins- the creatures **you** are responsible for- abducted my son?"

"Abducted is such a strong word," he disagreed. "Sarah did go to the trouble of wishing him away. They just answered her wish, and I had to straighten things out."

Karen, who was now less pale sputtered into her own cup. "Sarah would _never_ do that. She loves Toby."

Jareth grinned toothily at her. "She loves him now," he pointed out. "If she makes it through the second time, I'd ask her about that, if I were you."

Karen huffed at his answer. "But why would Sarah wish us all away? It just doesn't make any sense."

Jareth nodded. "It doesn't, does it? But that's the way it is." Of course, Karen, Toby, Robert, and even Sprocket would have no memory of just how this all happened- they were sleeping when Jareth came to collect them. It was up to Sarah to remember and learn.

"You know, I was planning a bit of a vacation when Sarah wished him away the first time. Soho. Never made it." He sighed that long-suffering sigh again, stood and stretched. "If you'll excuse me," he dabbed at his mouth with a napkin, "I have business to attend to."

He turned to leave but was stopped by a shrill, "Wait!" coming from Karen.

"Yes," he sighed. They truly were worse than his goblins- the woman especially.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?"

Jareth cocked his head to one side considering his options. He could hardly remember the last time he had a wished away family- let alone ones old enough to talk and get into trouble by wandering about. Babies were so much easier to deal with in that respect.

Tapping a gloved finger to his chin he smiled. Conjuring two new crystals, he tossed them haphazardly around the room- goblins skittering out of their wake. One landed inside of the stone pit in the center of the room- filling it with soft pillows, blankets, and piles of books stacked on the edge. "You are to wait. Read, entertain yourselves..." He opened the heavy wooden door leading to the main part of the castle and slipped outside shutting and locking it firmly behind him.

The second crystal landed on the table- clearing it of dishes and leftover foodstuffs. A golden platter with three perfectly ripe peaches sat enticingly upon it. "Sleep," he finished- with a smile that was a bit too dark.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or any recognizable characters. They belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: I have a few things to point out:

First, the part where Sarah is stuck in the forest? THAT'S the part that gave me writer's block for four months.

Second, where Jareth is lamenting how he would like to vacation in Soho and that he didn't really want to be Goblin King? From the Labyrinth documentary. Mentioned by David Bowie when he was asked about his opinion of Jareth.

This, like most of my other fics is self-edited so all errors are mine. Ideas, questions, comments are welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

Following a voice and a suggestion of a familiar creature through a magical forest in the Underground was not one of Sarah's brightest ideas. Not the worst idea, mind you- no, that was reserved for whatever had happened to lead up to this point. Sarah still couldn't remember and now, she was stuck. Stuck just like Winnie the Pooh.

"Grr." She wriggled and pushed at the rim of the hollowed-out tree harder- but she didn't budge. Oddly, she could rotate within her confined space, and did so to the point that she was now on her back. "Well, at least my face isn't in the dirt anymore," she quipped drily. Using this new position, Sarah dug the heels of her feet into the rooted floor of the tunnel and pushed.

At one point in her adult life, Sarah's estranged mother, Linda, had her professionally measured "…for when you come to visit, Darling, premiere gowns and shopping in Paris," (neither of which came to fruition), and was told that her measurements were nearly ideal: 36-24-38, and clearly that 38 was preventing her from exiting the tree.

"Stupid hips," she groused, closing her eyes and letting her head rest on the soft peat below.

"Now, I'm rather quite fond of your hips," came the drawling voice from above, causing Sarah to crack one green eye open.

"Hi Jareth," Sarah sighed. "Come to taunt and humiliate me?" Once again trying to kick and claw her way out of the hollow- efforts in vain since she was still thoroughly jammed in place.

He smirked and crouched down, letting the tips of his blonde hair brush her cheeks and nose- causing her to sneeze (which he thought was adorable but would never willingly admit to it if asked). "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Oh, I don't know, because you did it the last time I was here," she swatted at his dangling hair and resisted the urge to sneeze again.

"Hmmm," he murmured noncommittally and stood, leaning on the side of the tree, looking down his sharp nose at her. "So, you followed the sprite, I see."

"One that you no doubt planted for me to find," she squirmed again gaining maybe ¼ of an inch. Sarah glanced at her watch and groaned- she'd already lost 45 minutes wedged inside of this hunk of wood.

As though the passage of time meant little to him (which, it didn't), Jareth languidly flicked his right wrist causing his trusty riding crop to pop into existence. "I did no such thing," he neatly tapped the tip of her nose with it, emphasizing his point. "The Labyrinth is a living entity and does as it pleases. Besides, I am not the one currently stuck in a tree."

"There you go with the taunting," she jibed.

"Well, you ARE stuck in a tree- I'm just stating the obvious," he tossed the crop into the air and caught it.

"Fine," she conceded. "Now what?" But as soon as the words left her lips something unlocked from deep inside her mind. The words echoed and twisted until Sarah could clearly envision earlier- much earlier when she had said those very same words- only they weren't directed at him, but to Karen in response to… something.

A piece, albeit a very small piece, of the puzzle unlocked. Fuzzily, an image popped into her head. They were sitting at the kitchen table talking about…. What were they talking about? She couldn't remember. The overall feeling of the murky memory was tense but not overly so. _Now what_ …. What? Sarah didn't know the answer.

Jareth noticed that she had ceased listening to him. "Sarah?" he asked in that sing-song way of his. When she still didn't react, he stopped tossing the stick and used it tuck a loose strand of hair out of her face.

Two things happened:

The scraping of the soft leather brought Sarah out of her ruminations and seeing the crop within reaching distance she grabbed for it and held on for dear life.

After a moment's surprise, Jareth clamped both hands on the other end and pulled- trying to wrench it free. Digging his heels into the peat, he yanked- hard. Instead of regaining his possession, Jareth gained both it and Sarah, who popped free of her wooden prison, and they ended up in a tangle of limbs on the forest floor.

"Whoo-Hoo," Sarah sprung up and whooped- victorious. An instant later, she winced as her back reminded her how strained it had been in her struggle for freedom. "Oooh," she rubbed at the tender spot and in an interesting twist, looked down her nose at Jareth who was still sprawled on the floor- beloved crop held loosely in one hand- a slightly confused expression on his face. She cocked her head to one side considering him. But before he could react, she stuck her tongue out and darted off.

What just happened? He had no idea. At one point, she was there in the tree; the next she was flying at him. Sigh. Bested again. He should have known better- after all they were friends of sorts. Well, 'friends' was an extremely lose term in Jareth's book. He had never had a mortal friend before and was still learning boundaries like apparating directly into her apartment without notice was a big no-no. Barging in while she had company to borrow her eyeliner for some 'extravagant state dinner,' was also a big no-no- along with her having to explain to her friends who he was: 'A renaissance fair actor who **really** gets into the part.'

But that was neither here nor there, the fact was that she had done what she did and was now back on his turf. Tightening his grip on the crop, he silently disappeared, leaving only an outline of glitter behind.

****  
They didn't eat the peaches.

That was the first thing he noticed when he popped back into his throne room. Three perfect peaches were still sitting on the breakfast table, looking impossibly ripe and tempting.

The second thing he noticed was that Robert had knotted a mixture of blankets and the tablecloth into a makeshift rope- no doubt to try and shimmy out the window, with Karen squawking her disapproval at him.

"No, no, no, you're doing it all wrong." She roughly grabbed the cloth out of his hands. "Double the knot or else they'll slip and we'll fall to our deaths."

"I assure you, Madam, that there will be no deaths on my watch," Jareth interjected smoothly. Guiltily, they whirled around and shoved the object behind them. Robert going so far as to tuck part of it behind his throne. "And clearly, you are not to be trusted wi-" A scritch-scritch sound caused him to cut his speech short. Looking around, Jareth found the source: Toby and Sprocket.

They were crouched next to an inner wall trying to dig through it- Toby armed with a spoon and Sprocket helping chip away at the soft stone with his paws. Jareth pursed his lips, annoyed. Raising his voice, he restarted his speech. "Clearly, you are not to be trusted with anything." He turned and picked up a peach, rolling it between his hands.

"We're just trying to get to Sarah," Toby explained.

"Yes," Robert and Karen quickly agreed, "Sarah."

"Hmmm, yes." He didn't care what their reasons were- they were trying to escape. Things would be so much easier if they followed his plan. But no matter, he always won in the end…. er, scratch that- up until Sarah, he always won in the end. It seemed that her family had the same fighting spirit she had.

"I see you three overlooked my little gifts." He continued rolling the fruit over his hands and arms. "You wouldn't want to offend your host, now would you?" He asked silkily.

"Host?" Karen cried out, forgetting her guilt. She stomped forward in her fluffy slippers and nightclothes- appearing decidedly less than threatening to him. However, Toby and Robert recoiled from the scene. Well versed in the universal Aboveground male knowledge of 'oh, shit.'

"Host?! You are in no way our 'host' King of Whatever. You kidnapped us…. Sarah, too," she added after a pause. "And I-"

But she never got to finish her tirade as Jareth neatly popped the peach into her open mouth effectively silencing her. Surprised, she bit down onto the fruit before spatting the whole thing out onto the floor. Sprocket happily abandoned Toby to scarf it down with greedy snaps of his jaw.

"How dare you!" she raged before passing out onto the floor.

Toby and Robert rushed over to her, mouths agape with unasked questions. Quickly, before they could start demanding answers, he levitated the remaining peaches and aimed for their gob smacked expressions. Jareth hardly had time to blink, when they, too, fell to the ground in a dead sleep.

Oddly, it took a bit longer for the peach to take effect on the dog. He whined scratching at Jareth's boot, sensing that something was wrong. Scooping the creature up, Jareth carried him over to an overstuffed silk pillow and settled the animal upon it, petting him as he yawned and slowly succumbed.

Standing, Jareth snorted and artfully draped himself upon his empty throne, uncaring that three of his four guests slept on the cold floor. "Damned humans and their damned free will," he muttered, conjuring a crystal and waiting to see what shape their dreams would take.

Unlike the first forest, this one was much more pleasant and inviting with multicolored foliage and bright sunshine lighting her path. Sarah wasn't focused on any of it. In fact, her attention was torn between her compass and the still reverberating words of 'now what' running around in her head like a chicken with its head cut off.

Now what? Now what? Now what… it had become a chant.

Karen had been nagging about something. Which wasn't unusual for her stepmother- she always nagged, mostly at Toby and Robert, but Sarah wasn't spared just because she moved out. No, Karen called gave 'helpful advice,' and especially when Sarah visited, Karen always had something to say. Maybe whatever she had to say that night caused Sarah to use the ill-fated words starting with 'I wish…'

Sarah laughed and shook her head, physically dismissing the idea. She'd learned her lesson from the first time… hadn't she?

Her stomach decided at this point to grumble- reminding her just how empty it was. Scanning the area, Sarah found a flat sun-drenched rock that would make do for a picnic for one. She glanced at her watch as she settled herself on it. "I've been here for five hours!?" She exclaimed, surprised- it hadn't felt like that long- an hour, maybe two at most. "Five hours," she repeated morosely as she dug through the satchel withdrawing the trail mix, a bit of jerky and a water.

Reading her rudimentary map, Sarah took a bite of the mix, her face immediately screwing up in disgust. As soon as it hit her tongue, the nuts and dehydrated fruit turned to ash. Spatting it out, she rinsed out her mouth with water and tried the jerky. Same thing. "Shit," she moaned slumping forward and resting her face in her hands. The food didn't transfer over. "Shit, shit, shit…"

"Repeating isn't going to do ye any good," a small voice said.

Sarah peeked over her fingers. "Excuse me?" She looked around trying to pinpoint the disembodied sound.

"Up here."

She looked to her left and perched in a tree was a squirrel. She knew it was an Underground squirrel, since it was a bright vibrant green with four- no- six legs. Yep, definitely something from the Undergound. But, maybe he had information… and Sarah knew she was good at getting information.

"I'd share with you," she shook the bag of mix, smiling at him, "but I'm afraid it isn't any good." She frowned.

Sniffing the air current with its black nose, the squirrel darted down the tree, and in a split second was sitting on Sarah's knee. Head submerged inside the plastic baggie, taking deep sniffs. "Mind if I judge for meself?" it asked.

"Sure, but I warn you it-"

The creature grabbed a tiny handful of nuts and dried fruit and stuffed it into his face. "Tastes fine to me Miss," it managed to say around the food.

"What?" Sarah looked at the bag and took another handful, chewing carefully. "Bah!" She once again spat the ashen food out. "Take it," she nudged the bag closer to the squirrel. "It tastes horrid to me." She swished another mouthful of water and spit it onto the forest floor.

"Thanks," he said dipping both paws into the mix and munching happily.

After a few minutes of silence, and Sarah trying to wipe her tongue clean with her fingers, she noted, "you're the first living animal to speak to me here. Er, this time that is."

"Aside from King Jareth," it corrected, searching through the bag for a dried cherry.

"Er, yes, him. But do you know why that is? I mean last time I was here I made so many friends."

The squirrel shrugged its tiny shoulders and looked at her. "Well, isn't this what you asked of him?"

"I'm sorry?" Sarah didn't follow. As far as she knew she hadn't asked anything of anybody.

"Him," he stood up and pointed behind her. Sarah turned around and looked, but nobody was there.

"Who?" She turned back around and saw that both the squirrel and the bag were gone.

"The King," it called from its place in the tree- bag firmly clasped in both paws. "Didn't you wish to be left alone?" And with a flick of its tail, he and the bag disappeared into the thick auburn leaves.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or any recognizable characters. They belong to Jim Henson and Co.


	4. Chapter 4

Sarah sat stunned. Her mind was having a hard time comprehending the new information the critter had given her. One thing was clear, though- **he** had caused this. The tricky, scheming fiend! Only pretending to be her friend to get revenge! Well, she'd show him. "Jareth," she bellowed, causing a small flock of birds to erupt from nearby foliage.

"Giving up already, my Dear?" his smooth voice came from behind her- causing Sarah to whirl around on her rock.

"What? No!" She stood and stomped over to him and poked him squarely in the chest. "I never said 'I wish,' you bastard."

He frowned, "I assure you my parents were joined well before I was conceived." Brushing past her, he lounged on her rock, picked up her discarded satchel, and started rummaging through it.

"Hey, that's mine!" She attempted to snatch it from him, but he was quick and held it out of her reach.

"Actually it, along with the clothes you're wearing, are all property of my kingdom. Or did you forget that I provided all this," he waved his hand indicting both her and the bag, "for you?" He pursed his lips and affected a demeanor of deep thought. "With such disrespect to my generosity, I could take everything back," he mused, raising his hand and pausing just short of snapping his fingers. "But that would render you rather indecently dressed, I'm afraid." He watched as Sarah's eyes widened as she comprehended the meaning behind his words."

"Don't you dare…" she started but he cut her off.

"Don't I dare what?" he snapped, standing and looming over her. "Have you also forgotten just who I am?"

Sarah smartly swallowed her tirade and took a calming breath. "I appreciate your generosity," she muttered, not sounding appreciative at all, "but this doesn't change anything- I never said the words."

"Are you sure of that?" he asked lightly, knowing full well that she wasn't. When she didn't reply, he went back to her rock.

Dipping his head low, he examined the contents of the pouch. All human food. But oh, what's this? Beef jerky. Jareth was glad that he wore his hair on the longer side- for it effectively shielded his face from the woman currently pacing in front of him- shooting dirty looks. He took the private opportunity and openly grinned.

While most human items were merely okay in his opinion, he was addicted to beef jerky- having first been introduced to the snack as a child by his older brother who smuggled it back from the Above.

Sure, the Underground had their version of jerky, but there was just something about the Aboveground delicacy that couldn't be replicated.

Truly, a wonder. One of his many, many vices. A guilty pleasure that he was most unapologetic about. Unfortunately, his indulgence was extremely rare. Between minding a kingdom, monitoring (mostly) infrequent Runners, and trying to be friends with Sarah, he barely had time to himself.

He had a secret flat in Soho that he liked to visit once every five years or so. It was well stocked with his favorite Underground brandy and Aboveground beef jerky. Not that he would spend his entire vacation drinking and eating dried meat, no- he visited local establishments (both reputable and irreputable) and took the time to relax- free from all royal responsibilities.

But of course, **she** would interfere with his plans once again. The last time he had planned on a holiday in the Above, **she** had called- which, normally wouldn't be a problem. A Runner and child dealt with in a 13-hour time frame. Less for her, come to think of it- he recalled deducting three hours from her journey as punishment for running her smart little mouth. If things had gone as he had planned, there would have been plenty of time to settle his affairs here and then pop up to the Above for a few weeks.

Except **she** had won and, in the process, desecrated parts of his kingdom. Granted, some of them she had help with like the bridge over the Bog of Eternal Stench, the robot guard, and the Goblin City. But his Escher Room was all her!

And it took years for him to slowly rebuild everything, and just as he was putting the finishing touches on buildings and bridge supports, with the idea that he could finally take that long overdue holiday in Soho, **she** called again.

But no matter. At least this time she had beef jerky with her. A small compensation for delaying his trip once more. After pilfering her stash of jerky and sending it to his study, he unceremoniously thrust the sack towards her with a curt, "here."

She snatched it from his hands and stooped to dig through it properly- not daring to sit next to him on that devilishly inviting sun-warmed rock. This was Jareth, the Goblin King- Not Jareth, her so called friend. Sarah frowned seeing that all that was left of her provisions were her granola bars and couple bottles of water.

Now, she knew that the food would be useless here for her, but she had hoped that whatever magical food laws would be broken once she returned home, and the $20 worth of beef jerky would be edible again.

Except there wasn't any beef jerky. In its place, nestled among her other things, he left three pieces of fruit: a peach, an apple, and a pomegranate. "Each one gives a different kind of dream, Precious, and you do look incredibly hungry… tired even. Why not stop and sample a bit? Why, I would even be so generous as to pause the clock for your much-needed break." The honey in his voice was thick and enticing, and Sarah almost obeyed… almost. Closing the sack, she slung it across her body.

Sarah deliberately avoided his bating and chose a more benign topic. "I presume the water is still safe?" She had a feeling that the water was, but since he had been digging around in there… who knows if he had tampered with it.

He snorted dismissively. "I have no claim over water- it sustains all lifeforms, both here and in the Above."

She studied him for a moment, waiting for a more satisfactory answer, but apparently that was it. Nodding once in his direction- an acknowledgement of sorts, she turned and started down the path, before stopping and turning back. She had to try and reason with him somehow about the circumstances that brought her and her family here.

Sarah had to admit that the whole reappearing suddenly let's try at being friends thing was weird at first. It took some getting used to- he took getting used to. But when Jareth wasn't barging in on her at inopportune times, she found that he was an excellent companion, charming, witty, and could hold his own on a variety of subjects.

However, in the mere moment she had her back turned, Jareth had taken the opportunity to part the ruffles of his burgundy shirt and expose his chest to the sun. Lounging on his elbows with his eyes closed and head tossed back- he resembled a large cat in the act of sunbathing. Large cats came with claws- she needed to remember that, but she had to try and make him see reason.

"Do you consider yourself a gentleman, Jareth?" She asked softly.

He ran a hand through his hair carelessly and collapsed fully onto his back, hands resting lightly upon his flat stomach. "Depends."

Sarah took a step forward and continued. "You would never take advantage of a drunk… person… would you?"

Jareth sighed pleasantly- warm sunbeams making him drowsy. "Generally, no. However, there was that one time in France, where a drunken father wished his brood to me. Normally not something I'd bother with, but the children are better off."

"Hmm, and yet you did the same with me," she pointed out, not unkindly.

Jareth opened his eyes and turned his head so that he was facing her. She did have a point. Damn her. He propped himself back up on one elbow and conjured a crystal. "Fine. All in the sense of fairness," he sneered as he lobbed the object at her and she disappeared with a faint 'pop.'

****  
Unable to react quickly enough, Sarah fell to her knees- expecting to land upon packed dirt and was surprised to find her landing yielding. Sand. Her knees were cradled by the grainy softness of it. Orientating herself quickly, Sarah stood and looked around. She was surrounded by clear blue water. Jareth had dropped her on a small island.

A breeze kicked up bits of sand and threaded itself through her increasingly messy ponytail- caressing her almost like fingers. His voice carried with it as well. "You are now 100 meters closer to your goal." Sarah grinned- happy that her logic had gotten through to him. Her eyes scanned the area, spotting a dark patch directly west of her- exactly the direction she wanted to go. Wandering over to a pile of driftwood, she examined the larger pieces- hoping to be able to lash them together into a raft of some kind.

The wind kicked up again, catching smaller pieces and blowing them into the lake. Once again, his disembodied voice sounded, "I highly recommend the pomegranate this time, Sarah. The dreams it gives are more…. satisfying."

****  
Back in his throne room, Jareth cackled as he watched the woman in the orb throw a rude gesture in his general direction. Of all the fruits he supplied her with, he had hoped the pomegranate would be picked. For that fruit was the only one that he could fully control the dreams of the person who ate it.

And what better dream to act out than that of Sarah wearing nothing but strategically placed pieces of jerky? Pieces that he would pull off one by one…

****  
The island wasn't much- barely ½ a mile long and 1/8 of a mile wide- a mere strip of land really. It was littered with bits of driftwood and one scraggly tree- not unlike the one on the hill that overlooked the Labyrinth.

It took Sarah a little over 45 minutes to select and drag pieces of driftwood into the rough shape of a small raft, now all she had to do was bind them somehow, and hope it would keep her aloft, but there was nothing remotely rope-like on the island. And seeing how last time, the only body of water she encountered was the Bog of Eternal Stench, she didn't think to pack any.

"Something to tie you with…" leaving her boots on land and rolling up her pants, she waded out into the lake until the clear water came up to her knees and looked for anything string-like to use on her raft. Nothing useful presented itself to her. Turning back to shore, scanned the area that she had been working in- hoping the new perspective would prove useful.

It did. Her old college sweater had reappeared on the beach. "How odd," she murmured. She remembered it being taken from her. Eh, no matter- at this point, she'd accept (almost) any help she could get. Besides, it was rendered practically useless due to numerous holes, tears, and snags. An idea bloomed in her mind- she could cut the garment into strips and tie the wood into place.

Happy with her innovative solution, Sarah decided to take a bit of a breather. The sun was relentless and beat down on her, and the water was cool and clean- inviting her for a quick swim. "That wouldn't be a good idea," she mused aloud, instinctively knowing that he was listening, "swimming would mean indecent exposure on my part, and we wouldn't want that, would we?"

The sun seemingly upped its intensity in response.

Deciding, that she'd dry off well enough on the raft, Sarah waded out a bit further and ducked under the water for a few minutes' clothes and all- feeling instant relief. Wet clothes coupled with the gentle breeze, she would be her own evap cooler. Ringing out her hair as she waded back to land, Sarah quickly plaited it into a braid and fastened the end with her hair tie. Feeling refreshed already, she started tearing her sweatshirt into long strips and tying together the four corners of her frame into place, and then looping the fabric over and around the planks to form the main body of the raft.

Attending all those Cub Scout meetings with Toby had finally paid off. She was no master at crafting something like this- especially with her sparse supplies but felt that the final result was perfect for her current needs.

Not wanting to weigh it down too much, but still be sturdy enough to hold her, she placed the planks 2" apart, which worked well in her favor- she had plenty of room to weave strips of the shirt into place. Satisfied, she grabbed the last usable piece of wood, which ironically looked a little like a paddle.

Now, if only she had a sail. Sarah had shaped a sturdy bit of wood into a makeshift mast, whittling down the bottom and notching it on either side until it seated itself nicely betwixt two pieces of plank in the middle of her vessel. Notching it again, about 3 inches up, she secured it to her craft with four more strips of her tattered sweatshirt- by first tying them to the mast, and then to the planks- and prayed that it would hold upright.

Too bad, there wasn't anything that she could use as a sail.

Except, now her stomach decided to grumble at her- rather loudly, interrupting her thought process on suitable sail material.

"Quiet!" she admonished empty the organ. "We'll eat when we get home."

It grumbled louder.

She tried washing down a mouthful of ashen granola bars with sips of water but ended up half-choking on the mess until coughing it out onto the sand. "Maybe I could catch a fish…" she wondered, but decided that it would take too much time, and for all she knew the fish were enchanted as well… or poisoned.

That left the fruit- fruit that she knew she shouldn't even think about eating.

"What if I only have a sliver? Maybe it won't be as strong." Besides, she couldn't remember feeling hungry after her mouthful of peach the last time she was here. Perhaps a sliver would tide her over until she returned. But which one to pick?

An idea popped into her head and she grinned to herself. "you know," she addressed the emptiness around her, "if I were to take a break, I'd need something to protect me from the unrelenting sun. Wouldn't want to get a sunburn, you know." And like that, a palm tree sprung from the ground standing proudly as if it had always been there, effectively shading both Sarah and the raft.

The pomegranate rolled freely out of her bag, hitting her hip. "You really want me to eat that, don't you?" What was it he had said? Something about it being 'satisfying.' Well, 'satisfying' most likely meant 'perverted' to him, and she wasn't ready to go there.

That left the peach and the apple. Tossing the pomegranate over her shoulder without a backwards glance, Sarah dug the other fruits out. Holding the peach in her hand, she looked it over. It looked just as ripe as before and incredibly tempting. Peaches were light and sweet but had an underlying bite to them- just like that masquerade from so many years ago.

Not wanting to revisit that scenario, the peach went the way of the pomegranate, which left the apple. "If peaches are a dangerous innocence, and pomegranates are well, just dangerous- then apples must be in the middle?" she pondered aloud.

"Unless… knowledge." _Like Eve in the Garden of Eden._ "Maybe the apple will enlighten me on what happened last night. What caused this." Sarah chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. She could toss the apple away like the others, climb the tree, cut a few fronds for a sail and be on her way… or…

Her stomach grumbled and cramped, making her decision for her. "Just one slice." Rinsing the blade of her pocketknife in the lake water, Sarah cut a bit of apple- about the size of her finger and settled onto the shaded platform. Balling up what was left of her sweater, she stuck it behind her head and stretched out.

"This better give me answers," she warned- knowing that he heard. She gobbled up the slice like, well, a starving woman, and waited.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or any recognizable characters. They belong to Jim Henson and Co.

AN: Long-ish chapter to make up for not posting last month. I don't know if Jareth having a beef jerky fetish is a little too far-fetched, but it made me laugh when I thought of it. Also, my raft building skills are limited to grade school projects consisting of popsicle sticks and glue (mine sunk to the bottom, by the way). Hope the driftwood and sweatshirt one is at least a bit believable.


	5. Chapter 5

Five crystals revolved around him- acting like miniature planets and he the sun. Each contained a dream of his, ah, 'guests,' if he were to be gracious about it- which he decidedly was. In fact, Jareth was in a particularly good mood. His throne room was quiet- devoid of any movement aside from the steady breathing of Sarah's slumbering family, and he had a packet of jerky waiting for him. The only issue was which dream to pick?

He was, of course, immediately drawn to Sarah's, but her crystal still had swirling blackness inside- her dream hadn't started yet. Setting that one to float at his side, he blindly snatched one of the other orbiting ones.

"Ah, the harpy," he drawled dryly in response to selecting Karen's dream. In his long life, Jareth had never met anyone quite like Karen Williams- the woman inserted herself into almost every aspect of her family's life- all in her belief of 'good intentions'. He shook his head in astonishment. In the few hours she had been conscious, and what little contact he had with her- Jareth had wanted to stick the irritating woman into an oubliette and then Bog her a couple of times for good measure.

It amazed him that it took Sarah this long to snap and well… do what she had done- resulting in the present situation. He didn't blame her really, and probably would have done the same if he were in her position- but he'd never tell her that.

At any rate, the woman was a terror- even in her dreams. Peering closer into the crystal that was balanced on his fingertips, Jareth frowned. "No," he breathed, "she wouldn't." But it appeared that she would- and did.

Karen was dreaming about fastidiously cleaning **his** throne room and encouraging (nagging) at her family to assist her. The lived in feeling and slight disarray that had been cultivated over the decades- gone. Stone floors and walls were at least two shades lighter than they had been- evidence of a good scrub.

Curtains hung from the windows, billowing gently on a soft breeze. The drape around his throne was updated as well- instead of a tattered, faded purple, a deep blue velvet encased it- accentuated with sharp pleats. The entire space had become handsome.

Jareth leaned back against his dingy throne and looked around the room. Her subconscious did have a point- maybe he could set a few of his smarter goblins on making it look… decent. But before he could glean any other redecorating ideas, Karen shifted in her sleep, and in doing so, her dream did too.

Once again intrigued, he leaned forward and watched. Well, now she had done it- Karen's dream had changed to her critiquing his wardrobe.

"How do you expect to find a queen dressed like a flouncy ragamuffin?" She picked at the cuffs of his shirt- "See? Not a bit of lace- just moth-eaten rags. Who dresses you- hobos? I expect far more from a mystical king…"

"How do you know that I'm not already joined?" his dream-self asked, pulling her picking fingers off his person and setting them firmly to her side.

She eyed him sharply. "I've read the stories- Faeries are like lightening- they generally don't strike twice. And no matter the reason, you've now entangled yourself with Sarah twice. Which means you have more than a passing interest…."

"Perceptive twit," he muttered, crushing the crystal in his fist- not wanting to see more.

Conjuring his riding crop, Jareth swung his legs over the opposite side of his throne and tapped his boot with it- thinking. His wardrobe was a bit on the 'worn' side and could use a bit of sprucing up. How long had it been since the royal tailor had attended him? A decade… perhaps more? Maybe an appointment would be prudent before he took off on his much-needed holiday.

He glanced towards Sarah's waiting crystal- the fog inside had lightened to a dark grey. She must have taken an incredibly small bite- for the enchantment was taking much longer than normal to settle in. Sighing, he flipped through the remaining crystals:

Toby's was of him becoming the star player on his school's soccer team.

Within Sprocket's dream, the mutt gaily rolled in something particularly foul smelling and chased overly large squirrels.

And Robert's well, his was something that Jareth could relate to. Nothing but silence. The poor, henpecked man dreamt of being left on his own- no one to answer to, no one making demands of him. In his dream, he relished the complete freedom to do whatever he wished- and he wanted to go fishing.

If things went according to plan (which, at the moment they were), Jareth was inclined to grant Robert Williams his dreams- he needn't even wish anything away (unless he felt the need to wish away a crate of jerky).

A flashing from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Finally, Sarah's dream was taking shape. Drawing it in front of him with his crop, he wiggled a bit to make himself more comfortable upon his throne, watching closely as the fog slowly dissipated.

Sarah had always been headstrong- he knew that from the moment he flew into her house all those years ago. So, it didn't surprise him that she picked the apple. He could have gifted her with just the pomegranate, thus giving her no choice, but he didn't want to hear it from her about his subsequent unfairness.

Perhaps later, after he was refreshed from his getaway… maybe then he could convince her that an enchanted pomegranate would be good for her- and then… Jareth groaned and shifted again- still not quite comfortable upon his stone seat. Closing his eyes, he clearly pictured her dressed in the finest jerky the Aboveground had to offer. It would be smoky, a bit chewy and perfectly compliment the (presumed) sweet taste of her skin.

She would be ready and willing and… a bit of his own drool dripped upon his chest shaking him from his fantasy.

"Later," he rasped out, rearranging himself properly upon his seat- ignoring the fact that his pants were painfully tight upon his groin area.

Swallowing thickly, he refocused on the scene unfolding before him.

****  
The first time Sarah had eaten enchanted fruit the resulting dream was light and airy. This time, the scene was decidedly darker- almost drained of all color. And what color was present was muted and dull. She was standing in her parents' driveway in the middle of the night- dizzy and disorientated.

Not unlike before, only there was no handsome king coyly playing hide and seek- waiting to dance with her. Oh, and she was wearing pants- a decidedly good thing. Frothy ballgowns had no place here.

Weaving her way to the front door, Sarah pushed it open with ease- not even requiring her key- the magic of dreams, she supposed.

Nothing telling thus far. Empty entryway, quiet house- not even Sprocket barraging down the stairs to greet her in eager canine happiness. Figuring the kitchen was the best place to start, Sarah made her way there and wasn't surprised to see Karen sitting at the worn table with a long cold cup of tea- waiting for her.

"Karen," she greeted warmly. "I'm sorry I lost track of time and…"

"Sit," Karen ordered, pointing at the empty seat before her. Sarah silently obeyed, she was quite familiar with that tone of voice- it booked no argument.

Taking a calming breath, Karen's voice deceptively gentle as she asked, "Do you have any idea what time it is?" She took a sip of her tea making a face, obviously forgetting that it had been cooling for a while. Snatching it up, she placed it into the microwave and set the time to one minute, not bothering to offer Sarah anything.

"I.. um…" Sarah looked at the clock that hung above the stove- the hands of the 13-hour clock were sitting at 10:15 and the second hand didn't move at all- Jareth had been true to his word and stopped time for this. Who knew what time it really was supposed to be. She cleared her throat, "It's uh, late?" she guessed, and sighed- _here we go again,_ she thought. "Now what?"

The beeper went off on the microwave and Karen removed the steaming mug stirring a bit of honey into it, a little too vigorously- the other indicator that she was thoroughly pissed off. "Excuse me?" she kept her back to Sarah as she spoke.

"What piece of motherly advice are you going to dole out now? What part of my life do you think needs fixing, Karen?"

"You were out drinking again, weren't you?"

"Yes… but I always have a few with the girls when I visit- you know that." Strange, Karen had never mentioned her drinking before.

"The same girls you went cow tipping with the last time you were here?"

"I- er, yes?"

Karen sniffed disdainfully, "I see," she sat blowing on the steaming mug. "Do you even know how you got home? I hope you didn't drive in this condition."

Once again, Sarah's tongue was tied. "I…" she looked at her feet- tennis shoes, which meant she probably walked to the local bar and back. "I walked," she stated with certainty that she didn't feel.

Karen grabbed Sarah's hand that was resting on the table before them and squeezed it gently. "You're 26, far too old to be running around inebriated."

Sarah laughed pulling her hand free. "Karen, this is what- the second or maybe third time this has happened? It's no big deal- just having fun, blowing off some steam. Anyhow, it's late. I'm going to bed." She stood and turned to leave when Karen spoke again.

"It runs in your family, you know." She sipped her tea calmly. "Your mother…"

Sarah turned, feeling more alert and sober- how dare she speak ill of her mother! "That was different. It was that guy- Jeremy, he influenced her- got her into some bad stuff."

Karen cocked an eyebrow at Sarah's logic. "It all starts someplace. There's a predisposition for these 'harmless' habits, you know.

"Karen, I'm not-" but the words sat thick on her tongue like molasses, refusing to budge. Deep in her gut, Sarah had an inkling of feeling that Karen was right.

"You're starting down a slippery slope, Sarah Ann Williams. I'd advise you to be careful."

The conversation made Sarah's eye twitch slightly. And it wasn't like she had a problem. She wasn't out drinking every night.

"And another thing, you need to-"

"Karen, please!" she snapped- her outburst effectively silencing the older woman. "Have you ever thought that your 'good advice' was less than needed?" She stood pacing in the small, dimly lit room. "All you do is nag- nothing is perfect for you- and it's all things **you** want." Words were flowing easily now- the stickiness in her mouth quickly dissipating.

"Toby doesn't even like playing in little league- he wants to be in soccer. Did you know that?" She looked at Karen and watched her mouth open and close like a dying fish. "No, of course not- you only see things from **your** point of view." She gripped the back of the chair and leaned forward, "And Dad, have you noticed how distant he's been?" At Karen's blank look, Sarah snorted dismissively, "I have. You've badgered him into a shell of a man."

Sarah ran a hand through her hair and gripped it until her scalp hurt. "Why don't you do us all a favor and butt out?" she finished quietly- wiped out from her tirade.

Karen huffed and stuck her half empty mug into the sink- not even bothering to wash it. "You're drunk- you don't know what you're talking about," she said briskly, brushing past Sarah. "I expect an apology in the morning," she threw over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs.

Sarah let out a shaky breath. She felt the sudden need to leave- pack her things, scoop up Sprocket and go back to her apartment two towns over. She knew she couldn't though- she was in no condition to drive and truly hoped that she had walked home.

She had promised Toby that she'd take him to the fall festival before leaving the next evening, but she could make her excuses and cut out early. Sarah wasn't in the mood to deal with Karen for a long, long time. Insinuating that her mother had addiction problems. Not only that but indicating that she was developing them too!

"The know-nothing cow!" Her shoulders slumped as the combination of alcohol and exhaustion made the prospect of climbing upstairs almost impossible. In fact, she barely had enough energy to strip down to her camisole and panties and crawl under the sheets. "I wish," she slurred as she shut her eyes, "that I was left alone."

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or any recognizable characters. They belong to Jim Henson and Co.


	6. Chapter 6

Those same eyes opened within the shadow of the palm tree that was eclipsing the Underground sun. Sitting up slowly and shaking the cobwebs from her consciousness, Sarah groaned. "Alright, alright, I get it- I'll quit drinking," she addressed the surrounding area in general, figuring that he was listening.

Stretching the kinks out of her back, Sarah gathered her meager supplies, cutting one last thick strip of her dwindling sweater, and looping it loosely around the tree, she shimmied up. Sarah hacked off a couple of decent sized fronds, tying them to her makeshift mast.

All set, she pushed it out onto the lake, happy that it stayed floating on the surface. The only thing that worried her was if it would hold her weight. She built the thing long and narrow, so that she could paddle on both sides without moving from the center. Carefully crawling upon it, Sarah squealed with joy when it only sunk ¼ of an inch. Adjusting her sail, she started out for the strip of land in the distance.

The trip was a breeze… at first. Sarah was just about to relax and let the breeze carry her to her destination when the craft abruptly stopped- causing her to lurch forward. "What the heck?" She looked around but couldn't find any reason for it to stop moving. Peering between the slats, she didn't see any rocks or anything that it might have caught on. Only seaweed greeted her from below- waving merrily at her from beneath the water.

There, on the far-left corner, a bit of weed was caught on a rugged slat. "Must have missed smoothing that one," she mused while grabbing her pocket knife from her bag, cutting the plant loose. The palm-leaf sail was still full, edges flapping in the wind and within moments she started moving forward again.

Settling back into her spot, Sarah paddled a few times to speed things up. Even with the clock paused during her enlightening dream, she had lost a good 4 hours with gathering, arranging, and building the damn thing.

Without warning, the oar was ripped from her hands and quickly pulled beneath the cool water. Shrieking in surprise, she peered through the slats but could see no culprit other than the aforementioned friendly seaweed.

"Huh," she shrugged, dismissing the loss. At least she still had her sail and could paddle with her hands if needed. Besides, she was nearly there- another 10 minutes or so, and she'd be docked. Except her vessel stopped again almost pitching her into the water. Giant ropey strands of seaweed erupted from the water, now waiving angrily at her and latching onto the boat.

One strand, wrapped itself around her waist and tugged- determined to pull her into the lake. Sarah hooked her fingers in between the boards and held on for dear life. How was she going to get out of this mess?

Smaller pieces of seaweed poked up through the slats and started prying at her grip as she watched in agony while her fingers slipped off one by one.

A firm, wet smack to her bottom startled Sarah enough for her to loosen her grip completely as the seaweed still wrapped around her middle tugged her off the boat and into the cool water.

She was immediately dragged fully under, and Sarah kicked with all her might- fingers clawing at the plant trying to pull herself free. It wasn't budging, and the sunlight above grew dimmer as she was pulled further under.

Just as her lungs began to burn, the sentient plant freed her- not before taking a large chunk of her shirt with it. With tired legs Sarah kicked to the surface, hungrily gulping air. Floating in place, Sarah saw that she was the only thing in the water. Her rudimentary vessel gone- snatched to the bottom of the lake.

Grateful to be alive, she made a beeline for the distant shore.

They were starting to twitch which meant that the drugged fruit was wearing off. Not wanting them to try and escape again, Jareth was left with no choice.

Calling most of the Horde to his side, he instructed the various goblins to hoist the snoozing Williams family onto their collective backs and follow him down to the dungeons. Sure, he could have poofed them there, or even levitated the entire lot down, but why waste the magic?

Shackling the human's ankles to the wall, he was left with little idea of how to secure Sprocket. Usually well behaved and always happy to see him whenever he visited Sarah, Jareth shrugged. There wasn't much damage he could do down here.

All that was left was to wait for Sarah to show up.

****  
Gagging and spitting up water, Sarah collapsed upon the pebbled beach of her destination: mainland. "Magical seaweed, are you kidding me?" she rasped having coughed her throat raw.

"More imaginative than Kelpies, wouldn't you think?"

Sarah groaned. She really didn't want to deal with him right now.

The sound of crunching pebbles assaulted her plugged ears as Jareth slowly came into her field of vision and grinned down at her. "This is the second time today, you've presented yourself to me this way. And I, for one, I rather like it. Only this time is so much better: Heaving bosom, flushed face, artfully torn clothing, dripping wet."

"Fuck you," she coughed out and sat up quickly when he arched an eyebrow and his grin grew into something predatory. Sarah regretted her words instantly.

"While not the exact thanks I was expecting from saving you, I would accept that as a form of appreciation."

"Not even an option. Figure of speech," she stood on shaky legs and started removing her boots and dumping the water out. "Wait. Did you say, 'saving you?'"

He looked up from examining a piece of her broken boat that had washed ashore. Weighing it in his hands he conjured his crystal knife and started whittling away. "From the lake serpent," he held the piece out in front of him, scrutinizing his work so far. Blowing bits of shavings away, he continued.

"Serpent," Sarah repeated slightly astonished. "You gave me the means to build a boat, knowing full well that there was a giant sea snake swimming around?"

"Lake serpent," he corrected, carving a base for his figurine to stand on.

"I can't believe you. You pompous, glitter brained, puffy haired asshole! I could have died." Resisting the urge to pummel him, she paced instead.

Jareth had his tongue clenched between his teeth, concentrating on detailing the shoes for his carving. "Ah," he blew on the piece of wood again, pleased. "No," he looked up at Sarah who was still dripping wet and all too unhappy with him. "I assure you, Precious, you're in no immediate danger here-"

"I almost drowned," she countered slowing her pacing to stand in front of him.

"Hmmm," unconcerned, Jareth started detailing the shirt.

Sarah took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Then why did you have to save me? Hmmm?" she pointed out.

"I didn't _have_ to do anything, Sarah. I chose to save you. Why? Your family, while charming, has no place in the Underground. All of them too old to turn, and I wouldn't even dream of keeping any of them. What good would it do me if you perished?" He deftly carved the face with precise flicks of his knife and continued. "Besides, Larry was mostly after your vessel. It's his job to protect the lake after all."

"So, you're saying, that the only reason you saved me from a giant snake, is because you don't want to be saddled with my family for forever?"

"With them, forever would be a _very_ long time," he groused. "I never understood why it took you so long to ah, crack, as they would say."

Sarah shook her wet hair free of its knotted braid, squeezing the excess water. "It helps that I moved out."

He shaded his eyes from the sun, calculating its position in the sky, and changed the subject. "Have you been minding your time?"

"I- yes." She looked at her watch and bit her lip to muffle a curse. Waterlogged- stopped precisely at 4:30, and who knows how long ago that was.

Examining his work, Jareth winked as he pocketed it. "Better get a move on then," and faded from view.

Sarah gave a soft snort wondering, "When did he take up whittling?"

****  
The beach ended at the foot of a small hill. Sarah crested it- huffing and puffing harder than she should have. "Ugh," she wheezed, "two elements of personal growth: quit drinking, and exercise more." Pausing to pop a couple of ibuprofen (which carried over intact) to ward off future aches and pains, she gasped at what was before her.

Sand and sand dunes as far as the eye could see. Narry a tree, bush, shrub… vegetation of any kind anywhere. A lone tumbleweed skipped jauntily past her. Digging through her slightly sodden satchel, Sarah frowned. She only had a bottle and ½ left of water. Maybe she should turn back and refill the empties from the lake. Deciding it was a good idea, she turned to descend back down the hill, only to see that she was no longer standing on top of it but was instead up against a thick briar patch.

"Well, there goes that idea," she said, seeing as how she had no other choice but to keep going forward.

"Interesting," she noted as she trod through the slippery sand, "the first forest was cool and dark, the second one rather neutral, the island warm, lake cool, and desert… pleasant?" Trudging forward, Sarah was grateful that Jareth had gifted her with knee-high boots. Her feet sunk slightly into the sand, and her tennis shoes would have been full of it by now.

Walking in as straight as a line as possible, Sarah hoped that she was heading in the right direction. Along with her watch, Sarah's compass had stopped working too, so now she was traveling blind.

"I hate not knowing where I'm going," she groused as she clawed her way to the top of an intimidatingly tall sand dune. "I hope this is worth it," she puffed, standing on the top for a moment, catching her breath.

There, far below her in a sand valley was solitary a glowing archway. Seeing as how there was nothing else around, Sarah headed towards it.

****  
Robert came to first. "Oh, this just keeps getting better and better," he muttered as he took in their new environment. Hearing Karen stir, he attempted to stand and go to her, but was stopped short by the thick manacle embracing his ankle, attached to the stone wall behind him. "Karen, Honey," he nudged her with his free foot.

She blinked slowly, wondering why she felt like she'd gone camping and slept in a pup tent all night. "Robert?" He was fuzzy and distorted from that thing she had eaten.

He smiled sadly at her. "Looks like we were too much for our 'host' to handle." He pointed at her own shackle and spotted one on Toby who was still knocked out. "I knew I should have gone fishing this weekend," he murmured softly so that his wife couldn't hear.

****  
Standing before the arch, Sarah eyed it carefully- circling and trying to discern any idea of where it might lead. There were words… she supposed, carved crudely into the stone frame, but she had little idea what they said. It could be anything from 'Restroom' to 'Depraved Sex Dungeon.'

Chewing on her bottom lip she thought. _'I could climb another hill and see what's on the other side, but I don't even know how much time I've got left.'_

"No help from you, I suppose?"

Her only answer was the lone tumbleweed, the same one she swore she had seen before, bouncing through the arch and disappearing.

Sarah rolled her eyes, "you know, if this does turn out to be a sex dungeon, I'm kicking your ass as soon as I get out. _'If I get out,'_ she finished mentally, deciding to use it.

The arch glowed brighter and warmed her skin as Sarah stepped through.

And was promptly deposited into a collection room of sorts. Hundreds of shelves lined the rectangular space. Placed neatly, like little soldiers were all sorts of tiny carvings, made from all sorts of materials: wood, stone, glass.

Careful not to touch anything, Sarah simultaneously admired her surroundings while looking for an exit. Some were figures she recognized, like the Worm, Hoggle, and winged fairies in a multitude of poses. Others were of creatures she'd never imagined before: There was a two-headed horse with dragon wings, a squid-like creature with cat ears, an eight-legged rat wearing a crown.

Coming to the center of the room, Sarah stared in awe at a pillar that contained thousands of nooks and crannies, each with their own carving nestled inside. Slowly walking around the pillar, Sarah saw a theme- all the carvings were of herself. Different scenes from her first time in the Labyrinth- her being held by the shaft of hands and being led past the False Alarms by Hoggle. Dancing at a masked ball…

There were more contemporary scenes too:

Sarah sitting in her favorite beat up armchair reading a book, riding a bike, drinking coffee, snuggling with Sprocket on the couch. Each lovingly rendered and lifelike. She itched to pick one up and examine it even closer.

A new carving appeared in a new nook before her eyes. This one depicted her sodden and drippy from her ill-fated boat ride across the lake. Only instead of looking like the drowned rat that she should have, he had depicted her as beautiful. Hair slicked back, carved clothes hugging her form. "Oh," she breathed as something new clicked.

He had always teased her, and she had taken his more suggestive overtures as well, Jareth being Jareth. She knew he wasn't human and figured that was the way his kind interacted with one another.

But this… this was different. This spoke of something more from him. Something that she wasn't ready to deal with right now. Her revelation, thankfully interrupted, as something in the room clicked.

A door unlatching.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or any recognizable characters. They belong to Jim Henson and Co.


	7. Chapter 7

The throne room was just as she remembered: quiet and unkempt. Sarah chuckled to herself at the unbidden image of Karen studiously cleaning the place from top to bottom and wondered if the same thought crossed her stepmother's mind.

The last time she was here, Sarah went left, through the archway and up the stairs only to stumble into that crazy Escher Room. Stomach lurching, she made the quick decision that it wasn't a repeatable experience.

"Must be some other way," she murmured, almost embarrassed to break the dead silence of the place. Scanning the area, she spotted a moldy looking door peeking out from behind an equally moldering faded tapestry. Whatever was behind that door couldn't be worse than the Eschar Room and striding towards it she pushed it easily open.

The dimly lit hallway was devoid of adornments, except for the odd low burning torch. No doors, no turns- nothing. Just like the first section of the Labyrinth. "Great," she groaned. The door swung shut behind her, hitting her butt, causing her to stumble a few steps forward.

Stretching her arms out, she let her fingers scrape along both walls- in case there was a hidden opening and was disappointed when none presented itself. After minutes of walking, Sarah could see that she was coming to a dead end and sighed, "I'll have to turn around, I guess." Just as she was about to head back, something caught the corner of her eye- movement and a door where there had been none.

It was ornately carved oak and cool to her touch. Taking a deep breath, she opened it and stepped inside.

****  
Whatever she expected there to be- a creature, test, a pit even, wasn't what she got. Instead she stepped into a cramped office. The only light coming from a pile of glowing embers in the massive fireplace to the left of an overly large oak desk.

Papers, quills, books, scrolls, and crystals littered every inch of the place. On bookshelves, piled on top of and next to the desk. A pair of moth-eaten wingback chairs, which she supposed had been quite handsome at one point, sat in front of the hearth with a small table in between- the table equally covered with clutter.

Clearly, Jareth didn't employ any type of housekeeping.

His voice sounded sharply from someplace behind the stacks of books and scrolls on the desk. "Squint, I told you not to disturb me until The Champion enters the Goblin City." And with a disdainful sniff, the soft scritch-scritch of his quill resumed.

Sarah hadn't noticed the sound before- too consumed with taking in her new environment. "I'm not Squint" she poked her head around a large stack and met the mismatched (rather surprised) eyes of Jareth.

"Sarah?" he threw his quill down, leaving a large inky blotch on whatever document he'd been working on and hastily stood. "Those buffoons… I had strictly told them to warn me when you…" he finished with a growl.

"I bypassed the City this time. Interesting Carving Room you have. Didn't know that was a hobby of yours and… ah," she looked at a dusty clock on the mantle glad to interrupt herself. "I've beaten you- again- this time by 15 minutes. I'd like my family back now," she placed her hands on her hips trying to look self-assured.

Jareth chuckled at her pose and walking over to her, plucked a strand of seaweed from her hair. "The bit of greenery kills the effect, my Dear."

She swatted his hand away and looked at him expectantly.

He didn't notice however, turning to clear a spot for them to sit and negotiate with a flick of his wrist, the table and chairs while still worn were now impeccably clean. "Come, sit- you must be exhausted," he lounged on the leftmost chair and started pouring them both tea from the set that had appeared.

Sarah didn't move- thoroughly confused. "What no vulture-like circling? No 'fear me, slave' speech?

Tea?" he offered, ignoring her questions.

"What? No- are you kidding me? Every time something from here passes my lips- I end up drugged. Now, family… please," she ground through slightly clenched teeth- patience running thin.

He blew on the steam rising from his cup. "Have you learnt your lesson?"

Sarah sighed and let her shoulders slump. Fine she'll play it his way. Stomping over, she sat in the chair opposite of him and dug out her last bottle of water. "What am I- 5 years old? Yes, I learned my lesson. Drinking to excess is bad. It causes one to do stupid things like wish one's family away. Which I didn't do- I might add. I merely wished to be left alone."

He shrugged noncommittally. "Same thing, really."

"I was drunk. You said that you don't take advantage of drunk persons."

Jareth quirked an eyebrow at her. "What I said, Dearest, is that it depends on the situation. You would have ruined your life if you kept going down that path. I figured you need to learn that all actions- sober or not- have consequences. Biscuit?" he waved a plate of them under her nose.

She shook her head and gently pushed them away. "Yes, yes, you made your point… I'll never drink again. Family?"

"Are currently in my dungeons." He produced a crystal and let it float between them. The image inside was of Karen, Robert and Toby half-heartedly tugging at their ankle restraints. The only one free to roam the damp room was Sprocket, and he was sticking close to Toby's side nudging at the boy's shackle with his cold wet nose.

"Dungeons!?" she yelped and stood. Look of shock, anger, and disbelief upon her face. "Jareth you…"

He calmly held up one hand silencing her. "They were trying to escape and then the maternal one- Karen is it? She would have tried cleaning after she woke from eating the peach I gave her…"

"You drugged them?" Sarah whirled towards the door, "Screw you. I'll find my own way down there." She tugged but the door wouldn't budge.

"Ever theatrical," he quipped drily. Striding over and pulling her away from the door. "Sit, they're fine. Besides, we need to have a little chat."

"Chat? There's no chatting with you." She tried to pull free, but his grip was strong.

"Sarah," he warned, tugging her close so that their chests touched, and he looked his down his nose at her. "We can do this the calm adult way or the hysterical way. The adult way will find a compromise that I think we'll both like. The hysterical way will earn you a thoroughly bruised bum and a fortnight in my dungeons," he stated calmly waiting for her breathing to even out as she considered his choices.

When she relaxed, he released her, and she took a shaky step back. "Fine, what's the 'adult' way?"

****  
Sarah should have kept up the hysterics. Anything would have been better than this.

Jareth's idea of a compromise was for her to mind his kingdom for two weeks while he went gallivanting in the Above. Oh, and a packet of beef jerky to be delivered to him twice a month. As soon as they shook on it, her family was returned with properly wiped memories and the idea that Sarah was holed up in her apartment with a nasty case of mono. As a courtesy, they remembered agreeing to watching Sprocket while she recovered.

When she pointed out that she didn't know a thing about running a kingdom he thrust a crystal and a fatly rolled scroll into her hands. "You'll be fine," he put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed reassuringly. "Mostly the goblins are passed out drunk someplace."

"But what if someone wishes somebody away?"

He winked and waved a hand in front of himself, altering his appearance to fit into the Above. "Also taken care of. All Wished Aways are being taken care of by the Hungarian legend Rézfaszú bagoly." At Sarah's blank expression he elaborated. "A giant owl with a copper penis."

She opened her mouth to ask a follow up question, but instead closed it firmly and shook her head. "Never mind- I don't want to know."

"Good." He grinned, kissed her on the cheek and was gone- leaving a pile of glitter behind.

****  
Jareth had been kind enough to set Sarah up with her own quarters, but she had only been able to glimpse at it during his hasty tour of the castle. Deciding that she truly was tired after everything, she walked the path he had shown and entered her room. It was spacious and effeminately decorated in creams and light greens. Fleur-de-lis and floral motifs were embroidered upon the bedspread and lovingly carved onto the mantle of her own fireplace.

It was the only room aside from his Carving one, that she'd seen that wasn't run down or decayed. Almost like it had been preserved or waiting for someone.

She stretched out on the bed and took a deep breath, releasing all the tension in her body, and was about to take a nap when she smelled something off. Meaty and smoky. Crawling off the bed, she sniffed again and again- following the odor emanating from her wardrobe.

Frowning, Sarah dug through it. It contained a mixture of Above and Underground styles. Dresses, jeans, corsets, slippers, boots… you name it, she found it.

None of the clothes were the cause though. They smelt of fresh air and sunshine, not smoky and heavy.

Digging deeper, Sarah finally located something different. It wasn't the fine cottons or soft silks of the other garments- it felt dry and a bit greasy. Withdrawing the object, she was shocked to see what looked like a bikini composed entirely of beef jerky.

After eying it for a bit, Sarah decided that whatever reason he had for creating this… thing- she wanted no part of it, and promptly threw it out her window- knowing that the waiting goblins below would have no trouble in its consumption.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or any recognizable characters. They belong to Jim Henson and Co.

I came across Rézfaszú bagoly while researching for an incredibly unusual replacement for our GK. As you know, this website doesn't like links unfortunately, but the title of the website is European Monsters: Europe is not Dead. I didn't exaggerate on the copper penis part either.

AN: Oy! I struggled with a lot of writer's block with this one. Taking it as a sign that a very long break is needed. Happily going back to being a spectator.

AN2: Tethered. After letting it sit for a long while and then rereading it... I'm not happy with it, but I don't know how to fix it (my imagination sponge has run dry). Frustrating since I'm generally happy and satisfied with what I produce. So, it'll stay the way it is.


End file.
